Today's Apple-tablet rumeur du jour is that Cupertino is shopping its not-so-secret "print redefiner" to Australian media companies, trolling for content partners.
According to a Tuesday report from The Sydney Morning Herald, Apple has sent specs of the device to Oz-based content creators, in the hopes of enticing them to …

YOU WILL ENYOY IT!!!

Murdoch

It's beginning to make more sense.

Apple releases iTunes for News with paid for content - available on their new Newton, iPhone, OSX and Windows. Simultaneously loads of newspapers announce support and shutter significant parts of their free content online.

The bet is people will pay via an iTunes like service for content, articles, reviews etc. probably at a few pence type level. Apple gets content for their platform, and of course it will work best on their new hardware. Eventually eBooks and lengthier text is pushed in the Apple direction as critical mass is achieved.

Will it work? Can you roll back the internet to the AOL model, even if it does have a pretty apple face?

I'd have bet that apple trying to redefine MP3s into a paid for format would fail, but...

Newspapers are probably drooling at the prospect

Perhaps this will breathe life back into the almost-dead newspapers?

It's been well documented (especially of late) that newspapers are basically all going down the toilet - and fast.

If Apple bring out an iTunes/podcast subscription-based (or micro-payment based) model to this tablet thingy, the newspaper companies will all be gagging to get their content onto it. Fair frothing, in fact.

In fact - in order for them to stay alive, this could be their last chance.

@ Scott Earle

Totally, totally agree. I actually had a rep from the local paper door knocking last night offering me half price and delivery until the end of January. I simply don't have the space in my daily commute on the train to read a normal newspaper, let alone a broadsheet, and don't have the time when I'm home to read. I actually said last night if they produced an e-ink version I'd happily pay for it every day and read it.